GameCube

Pac-Man Fever

If you must have a party game and you must have it NOW, then Pac-Man Fever will fit the bill. However, if you can wait a few more weeks for the release of Mario Party 4, then do it. The difference between the two games is night and day, with Mario Party 4 being the better of the two by a wide margin. There really is no comparison.

Pac-Man Fever is basically on par with most other party games from over the years, though it comes much later. The minigames are pretty much on par with the competition, and though there are a few inspired moments, the generally shallow, repetitive gameplay and slow pacing plague Pac-Man Fever just as they have plagued other games in the genre. If you're looking for another party game to tide you over until the next Mario Party, Pac-Man Fever may meet your needs--but if you're looking for an actual party, look elsewhere.

Recommended as a rental only to the most hardcore of Pac-Man, Namco, or 3D board game fans. Everybody else, pass.

Pac-Man Fever is entertaining with multiple players, but one heinous design flaw nearly ruins the whole affair. The last four spaces of each board have special conditions that make it easy to become hopelessly stuck on them while the rest of the field catches up. It really doesn't matter how well you performed during the course of the game, because invariably everyone ends up bunched up in those last few spaces! Even so, Pac-Man Fever still compares favorably to the recent crop of mediocre Mario Party games.

Pac-Man Fever could have been a great party game. But little to no effort was used to try to make the game fun.